Is Cybersquatting Illegal?

[Terrains]

Found this pretty interesting article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2206596/?GT1=38001

The George W. Bush Library Foundation has retrieved its domain name. A small Internet company had bought www.georgewbushlibrary.com for less than $10 after it expired and then sold it back it to the library for $35,000. Is that legal?

 

[mwzd]

Yes it is.

Don't let anyone tell you any different.

The company was dumb to pay $35000, which makes one think this might be an inside job. They had all rights under law to go after the domain and they should have, would not have even cost $3500.

 

[painperdu]

I guess the assumption may be made that if someone allows their domain name to drop then they're not interested in it. Also, what were the details around this sale? Did the re-registrant make an overt gesture that he wanted to sell? For it to be cybersquatting bad faith has to be proven, usually in the form of the re-registrant's only interest in the name is asking the claimant for money to get the name back.